(Alta) Fidel(idade) Castro

Max de Castro, Afrosamba: Afrosamba

I warned you. I said that R&B was having a huge influence on contemporary Brazilian music, but you didn't listen, now did you. Given that Brazilian artists have been incorporating funk, soul, motown and other influences into the mix, it doesn't seem all that surprising that today's Brazilian artists take R&B and make it their own.

Much along the same lines as Jair Oliveira (another artist on the Trama Records label... See previous post), Max de Castro is well up on his Andre, Kanye, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys and others. Afrosamba is a tribute to the contemporary R&B influence on the Brazilian music scene, and one of its most accurately and effectively implemented examples. Drum machines and heavy production (which isn't to say bad production, in this case) create a really strong and unique sound, one that, I might dare say, have the ever-elusive "crossover appeal."

De Castro's father, Wilson Simonal, was another pioneer of Brazilian music (I imagine by this point no one is all that surprised). Simonal was Brazil's Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Temptations, etc. all wrapped into one. His records bring to mind the great works of Motown, with a berimbau, pandeiro and agogo just to remind you where they're coming from.

Simonal's other son is Wilson Simoninha, a like-minded soul to his brother Max in the musical sense. His influences are largely the same, and Simoninha is also on the Trama label. More about him in future posts...

Terca-feira gorda

Ilê Aiyê featuring Gilberto Gil, Canto Negro: Que Bloco É Esse?

In honor of Carnaval, I'm throwing up a track by Bahia's Ilê Aiyê, the original afro-bloc from Liberdade, a neighborhood in Salvador, the capitol of the state Bahia. Ilê Aiyê was created 30 years ago to combat racism and spread awareness about various social causes through their music. Each year, the bloc chooses a theme and subsequently commissions pieces for their Carnival performances.

The group is more than a band in the city of Salvador; it is a veritable institution. With a cultural institution and educational program to its name, Ilê Aiyê is an important and significant part of the Bahian cultural landscape, and as a result count Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Carlinhos Brown and other notable Bahians as friends to the institution.

This track, Que Bloco E Esse?, is a classic in the Ilê Aiyê repetoire. The title translates to "What bloc is this?" and is a nod to the black empowerment movement of the 1970's. Gilberto Gil leads on vocals on this rendition, and a version of the song (alternately titled "Ilê Aiyê") appears on his Refavela album.